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45 Quincy, ILPhoto: David Wilson · CC BY 2.0
–Not graded
History · Quincy Township

Quincy Township dates to 1819, and 26% of its homes were built before 1940

18 places in town are on the National Register. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1925 on, and the census since 1840.

1819founded
18on the National Register
26%homes built before 1940
6old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Quincy Township’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Quincy Township began

When was Quincy Township founded?

1819

Quincy Township dates its founding to 1819 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1840.

First census: 2,319 in 18402020 census: 39,463207 years
Founding year: Wikidata.The full story ↓

What stands out about Quincy Township’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

Landmarks on the Register18 places on the National Register.Deep rootsEstablished in 1819: 207 years of Quincy Township.On the map since 19254 editions of the USGS map, 1925 to 1996. Watch Quincy Township change.Old housesHalf of Quincy Township’s homes were built before 1959.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

18 listings protect 3,836 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
18
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
3,836
each building in a district counts

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Timeline

Quincy Township, 1819 to 1925

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1819
    FoundingQuincy Township is established
  3. 1848In the archiveQuincy in 1848, by Henry Lewis
  4. 1858In the archiveThe Lincoln–Douglas debates of 1858 - FOURTH STREET, QUINCY, 1858
  5. 1865In the archiveDistant view of Quincy, from the south
  6. 20th century
  7. 1925On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
On the map

Quincy Township on the map, 1925 to 1996

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Quincy Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Quincy Township on the 1925 USGS mapQuincy Township on the 1944 USGS mapQuincy Township on the 1971 USGS mapQuincy Township on the 1996 USGS map1925Quincy sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Quincy Township.

The story

How Quincy Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Quincy Township.

Read it all →

Quincy's location along the Mississippi River has attracted settlers for centuries. The French became the first European presence to colonize the region, after Louis Jolliet, Jacques Marquette, and the La Salle Expeditions explored the Upper Mississippi River Valley. Fur goods became a valuable commodity of the region, and European explorers and merchants alike were attracted to the prospects of the growing fur trade of the North American frontier. The Mississippi River, acting as a superhighway for transporting goods downstream, became the area's most vital transportation asset.

ChaptersEarly history19th century20th and 21st centuries

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Quincy Township, decade by decade

3 decades in the archive, from the 1840s to the 1860s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1840s–1860s6 items
Quincy in 1848, by Henry Lewis1848Quincy in 1848, by Henry LewisThe Lincoln–Douglas debates of 1858 - FOURTH STREET, QUINCY, 18581858The Lincoln–Douglas debates of 1858 - FOURTH STREET, …The Lincoln–Douglas debates of 1858 - MARKER FOR THE QUINCY DEBATE1858The Lincoln–Douglas debates of 1858 - MARKER FOR THE …The Lincoln–Douglas debates of 1858 - THE OLD QUINCY HOUSE, QUINCY, ILLINOIS, 18581858The Lincoln–Douglas debates of 1858 - THE OLD QUINCY …Distant view of Quincy, from the south1865Distant view of Quincy, from the southMule Ear (tobacco) 1872 lithograph art - Harris, Beebe & Cos., Quincy, Ill. - The Hatch LithCo., 32 & 34 Vesey St. N.Y.…1868Mule Ear (tobacco) 1872 lithograph art - Harris, Beeb…
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Quincy in 1848, by Henry Lewis
Retake this viewQuincy in 1848, by Henry Lewis, 1848

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Quincy Township’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Quincy Township, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,00035,00040,00045,00050,0001850190019502000Peak: 45,288

Between 2,319 and 45,288 people in every census since 1840.

19 censuses, 1840–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Quincy Township’s Wikipedia page.

Help out

Finish Quincy Township’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewQuincy in 1848, by Henry Lewis: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Quincy19 historic placesA+Melrose TownshipIts storyC−Riverside TownshipIts storyCEllington TownshipIts storyC−

Questions about Quincy Township’s history

What year was Quincy Township founded?

In 1819, according to Wikidata. the census of 1840 counted 2,319 people here.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (6), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.